Animal Reaction
by The Abbot of Beregost
Summary: Olivia reacts to Elliot being hurt in 'Blinded', a short drabble.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: ** Liv's POV. First little SVU drabble. Episode is 'Blinded'.

It was an animal reaction, simple as that. I saw Elliot go down, and my heart jumped into my throat. My legs were moving before I knew it.

"Get him!"

I dashed across the street, fuck the traffic. The driver of the SUV leaned on the horn, I ignored him. Elliot wasn't coming back up. I wanted him- willed him- to stagger to his feet, but he didn't. The unis were chasing down Picard, but all I could think about was Elliot. A dim thought flickered in the back of my mind, flared to life with a dull glow- _I'm going to kill him because he hurt my man_. It ended up staying lit, burning back there for days, weeks.

"Officer down, call a bus!"

I knelt beside him. He wasn't moving. I don't ever remember what I said exactly. I remember Elliot just lying there, limp. I wasn't sure if he was dead or alive, I just did what was natural- I pulled him to me. I cradled his head. I looked down, he still wasn't moving. Everything flew out the window- first aid, the ABCs, the possibility of head and spinal injury. Hell, I wasn't even sure he was alive until I felt his blood - my man's blood- seep through my shirt. His heart was still beating. I held him, stroked his cheek, told him everything was going to be fine, even though the cold, analytical part of my brain told me he couldn't hear me.

I held him close to me until the paramedics pried him away from me. I almost socked one of the medics before I got control of myself again. I wanted to hold him, make him okay, be with him. I held his hand in the bus. That medic stared at me like I was gonna saw it off, and I just stared him down. It's not that hard to understand.

Like I said, it was an animal reaction.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Lolwut? I'm kinda sketched out on timelines, so I guess this happens awhile after the first chapter. Tell me what you think.

It's just an animal reaction, I guess.

Liv is emotional. Always was, always will be. But whenever I'm with her, she evens me out, y'know? I feel...I guess, a sense of purpose. She calms me down. Keeps me warm, y'know? In the Corps, I learned a lot- learned to disconnect from everything around me. Can't let it get to you, in this job, or you'll end up painting your brains all over your walls. There's a reason cops drink themselves to death or eat a gun. Me and Liv, we've seen a lot. And it's tempting to just turn off that part of your mind that makes you feel anything. But Liv? She helps me, reminds me I can feel without going crazy.

Hell, I spend more time with her than I do with my wife.

I guess I feel grounded when I'm driving around with her. We don't even need to talk, most of the time, but we do. I can crack a joke. We can talk about anything and not get into an argument. I can talk about Kathy or the kids or whatever, and she'll listen. I don't get any bullshit about leaving the force, or not talking about one thing or another. It's been weird lately, though. Since I got that headbutt and lost my vision for awhile, she's been acting weird. I mean, I've seen it before. Your partner gets busted up, you get angry. And sure, Olivia has a bit of a temper, but still. It was weird. She went above and beyond to try and keep me sidelined, and I don't think it was because she thought I was out of it. Scuttlebutt is, she tried to keep the ADA away from me. Hell, I should have listened.

Anyways, when I fell in the court, she caught me like she always does. I think now that she's gone, I appreciate that more. My new partner isn't anything to write home about, and there isn't anything wrong with the rookie, either. I just miss her, y'know? She's always been there for me. We've worked together almost a decade. I feel like I lost my right hand.

It's just an animal reaction. It can't be helped. I guess I'll give her a call on the day off, go for a pint or something, try to catch up some. It's been awhile.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Why is this coming together?

We're back together, Elliot and I. It's been awhile since I rode with him, but part of me always knew no matter how often I put him in the rearview mirror, I'd be back. I can run off to chase eco-terrorists, chase pedophiles online, but when the chips are down, there's no one I'd rather have by my side.

It's just an animal reaction.

I remember in the beginning how angry, how frustrated he was. Tearing his desk apart after that grandfather got off, pissed off at the world after Hawkins showed up. I guess part of him will always be a Marine, used to facing things down with fists and guns. He gets angry, so angry when one gets away. I do too, but he's more likely to lash out. It's strange - most of the time, you see him with his spitshined boots, his suit and short hair and all you can get off of him is discipline. Lots of discipline. But under that, there's a wolf. There's an angry, hurt animal. And I've done everything I can to help him. But the one thing I've noticed is that whenever he's hurt, whenever I get an excuse to hold him, I can feel the tension seep out of him. I can feel him relax.


End file.
